The Nandas have been known as fierce industrialists to be reckoned with since the inception of free India. Dealing primarily in agriculture and technology, their homegrown business, Escorts Limited, founded by H P Nanda and spearheaded by Rajan Nanda, has reached a new milestone today.

On the occasion of 100th birth anniversary of its founder H P Nanda, the company released a video that aims to capture the spirit of the brand, it aims to explain how the identity of the family infuses itself in the business itself and finally it offers an insight into the company's role in the transformation of Indian farming.

Brand Equity spoke to Sharad Gupta, chief communications officer, Escorts Limited, to get a deeper understanding into the film that Escorts believes is the story of the aspirations, vision and values that have made the company more than just a house of business.

In the video, Amitabh Bachchan, in his classic deep baritone, brings alive the theme of the film that etches the story of the company's highs and lows through the years. Shot by director Shoojit Sircar based on the script by award-winning ad-guru, Piyush Pandey, co-executive chairman and national creative director of Ogilvy & Mather India and vice-chairman of O&M Asia-Pacific, the film aims to capture the values of Escorts that have stayed unchanged from the time they were etched in stone by founder, H P Nanda.

It is interesting to note that Bachchan himself is not just invested in Escorts Limited on a cosmetic level but has much deeper ties with the brand. Bachchan's daughter, Shweta Nanda is married to Nikhil Nanda, the managing director of Escorts Limited making Amitabh Bachchan and Rajan Nanda family, by law.

When quizzed on why Amitabh Bachchan was roped in for the campaign, Gupta replied, "The idea primarily is not a campaign but a documentary on our founder chairman, his vision for India and creating a set-up to bring world’s best to India and offer India’s best to the world. It’s about a legacy of excellence and values. Thus we wanted a legend to talk about the legend himself. So we requested Mr. Bachchan who symbolizes the same values to narrate the vision and extraordinaire of our founder, Mr. HP Nanda."

Watch the spot here:

Escorts Limited is reputed to be a quiet industrial giant, ploughing its way through upward progress. Considering that and the fact that we don't often get to seen advertising from the category that the company is from, we asked Gupta why the company finally decided to take the mass media route forSharad Gupta this campaign and what was the big strategy to do so now considering their TG is primarily coming from the non-metro spaces. In response, Gupta replied, "As this is a documentary on the vision of our founder, who as the pioneer of farm mechanization in India dedicated his entire life to the wellbeing and prosperity of our farmers. His journey epitomized the essence of a then young India – independent in spirit, passionate about creating a brighter future and committed to the cause of the nation. The documentary is a true testimony of our founder’s excellence and commitment to the cause of building India."Gupta further added, "We have been active on brand connect for the last couple of years and did break our Corporate Campaign 'Engineering the fundamentals of Growth' last year through strategic media placements talking about re-inventing agriculture and re-inventing infrastructure which ran throughout the year."

Gupta went on to share some category trends saying, "We operate primarily in the agriculture solutions, construction and railways equipment verticals. All categories are on a growth curve. Favourable government initiatives and policies will further boost growth in these key sectors."

The company was founded in 1960 making it close to six decades old.

Speaking of how consumer behaviour and type has changed over the years, Gupta mused, "Technology plays a critical role in the changing consumer trends both geographically and demographically. Smart and faster mobility, Internet of things and smart networking accounts for smarter, connected and a much aware consumer today be it urban or rural segment."

The spot will be broadcasted on the electronic medium through TV; print, through placements in mainline dailies integrated with QR codes, digital media, social media amplification, strategic placements across industrial forums.